Fairy Tail Avant Garde Daughter Of War
by Azza1608
Summary: The war between Fiore and Alvarez is over and life returns to normal however a curious and inquisitive young girl wants to hear the tale of the one woman no one in the Fairy Tail Guild seems to know. Discover the origins of Elise Faulkner from her rise from a dark past to her meeting with Natsu and Erza. A prequel to the highly popular Power Of The Dragon fic.
1. The Child Of Devotion

**Hi guys Azza here!**

 **So many of you asked and I shall deliver the origins of what many of you describe as the best OC Fairy Tail Character Elise Faulkner the War God Slayer and adopted daughter of the Goddess of War Eliza.**

 **I know those of you who have read Power Of The Dragon know why this is a thing and I am giving you the red alert warning MASSIVE END OF SERIES SPOILERS in this and subsequent chapters so if you are ok with reading this and finding out summarized stuff from the end of Power Of The Dragon then I hope you enjoy otherwise you might want to hold off reading this until after I finish that.**

 **Now then important stuff to get out of the way before we begin this story ends upon Elise meeting Natsu and Erza during the Valthiem's Razor Arc in Power Of The Dragon though I may rewrite it from Elise's sole perspective if enough people ask.**

 **There are no pairings for this fic because Elise won't be at an age where any kind of pairing could even occur until late in the story since she was only 20 at the time of the Tenrou Island Arc.**

 **Again this is a tribute to all my dedicated readers who followed Power Of The Dragon through the good and the bad and have endured my change in writing styles and screw ups and been nothing but supportive and helpful the whole way I dedicate this story to all of you!**

 **Also again since this chapter will likely come out well before Power Of The Dragon concludes there are spoilers for the EOS littered throughout so if you care about that you may want to hold off until it is finished.**

 **Now that's enough of that if you all have questions feel free to PM me or leave it in the reviews as my long time readers know I always reply to them and I hope you all enjoy!**

 **The Child Of Devotion**

 _ **/Magnolia – Elise's POV/**_

The wind blew lightly across the city of Magnolia with the sun shining brightly radiating a calming warmth that assured eternal calm and peace, sitting out the front of a large manor a beautiful woman with long flowing black hair that reached just down her back with her bangs covering one eye sipped quietly from her cup of tea.

It had been thirteen years since the Alvarez/Fiore war and the deaths of both Zeref and Achnologia had all but assured a lasting peace with a treaty formed by the now Queen of Alvarez Irene Belserion and Queen of Fiore Hisui E Fiore however it came at a heavy price.

Natsu Dragneel was a man Elise admired like the brother she always wanted, he was cool, calm and collected and frighteningly powerful with the fearsome Hybrid's Aura that was a combination of both the God and Devil Auras.

The Alvarez/Fiore war was one that shook the foundations of the world and yet the forces of Fiore never once wavered in their resolve with Natsu at the helm, the man exuded an air of authority that commanded the utmost loyalty and respect and his rallying cries drove the allied forces to fight with every last drop of magic they could muster until they could draw no more.

The war even then was hard fought with heavy losses on both sides with even the death of many they called family and friend, Makarov Dreyar was one such casualty of the war but one that drove Natsu to push back an entire army with several of the Spriggan and Leichart 12 at the helm by himself he was a true force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately as much as the allied forces wanted to believe Natsu was unbeatable it was not to be, Natsu had fought the Black Wizard Zeref to a standstill and victory was almost within their grasp when Ahnkseram tried to resurrect himself only to have half his soul consumed by a ravenous Achnologia who had arrived on the battlefield with the four Harbingers of the Apocalypse at his side.

Natsu and Zeref put aside their differences and tried to fight as best they could but the monster seemed to be too much until the Dragons returned having released themselves from their respective slayers after almost 1000 years and the others who had not been sealed arrived alongside the Dragon God Xicor.

Zeref who finally succumb to his wounds begged Natsu to end Achnologia with his dying breath and Natsu alongside the Dragons raged a long and bloody battle against the Dragon King that shook Earthland itself, one by one the Dragons fell and tossed the vestiges of their power into Natsu to prevent Achnologia from getting them and eventually even the Dragon God Xicor was slain but not before buying Natsu one final chance.

With the power of the perfected Hybrid form combined with the power of the last Dragons in a last ditch effort in collaboration with the Goddess of Time Lady Felicity Natsu used every last drop of power and threw both himself and Achnologia into the Ravine Of Time being scattered amongst time itself.

Natsu had sacrificed his very life for those he loved yet could never truly walk beside choosing to ensure they could live their lives free of the hopelessness and despair that had plagued so many others, in that moment Natsu appeared so very old and wizened as he urged them to live well in his name.

His death marked the end of the conflict as both sides were reduced to tears with his now widowed wife Erza Dragneel who was with a child emotionally destroyed at losing Natsu after everything they had gone through just to try and be able to live their lives together.

Elise wiped a tear from her eye as she shook her head of that day; often she found her mind drifting back to that horrid day that was both the greatest blessing and the most horrid curse. Natsu of course was hailed a national hero and had a statue made of gold erected in the centre of Crocus upon the order of Queen Hisui who hailed him as the Saviour Of All Earthland and its people with a yearly festival celebrating his sacrifice and honouring all those who died in the conflict.

"Aunt Elise, Aunt Elise," a cheerful young voice cried as Elise gained a small smile to her lips.

"Ah my favourite God Daughter how are you this morning," Elise asked as the young girl pouted.

"I'm you're only God Daughter you know …"

"Of course and that is why you are my favourite," she replied with a giggle as the girl smiled again.

The little girl before her was the child of Erza and Natsu Dragneel, her birth had saved Erza from the spiral of depression she had been going down and brought new life into the requip mage.

Cynthia Dragneel was the new light of Fairy Tail, a girl with beauty and grace of her mother but the passion and drive of her father. Cynthia had long scarlet coloured hair like her mother however it was all spiky and unkempt like her father's with his menacing black coloured eyes that could freeze even the most stoic mages at the guild in place.

Cynthia was an interesting child for she had inherited her father's destructive tendencies burning down the family home at age three when she accidently used some Fire Dragon Slaying Magic for the first time not that anyone cared however everyone was delighted she inherited something from her father.

At age seven she again defied the odds when she turned the bar in the guild hall into cubes using an accidental bout of Crash Magic, Wendy whom Natsu had also taught magic was tasked with teaching young Cynthia the basics on controlling her power since it was quite dangerous and Gildarts was out of town at the time.

The biggest surprise of all however came on her twelfth birthday when she was on a job with her mother and Elise, the group was attacked by some bandits and one managed to sneak up behind Erza. Little did she know Erza already knew this but to little Cynthia she thought her mother was in danger, her arm morphed into a black tendril and went right through the man's chest killing him instantly much to the shock of everyone present.

It was then that everyone knew Cynthia had indeed inherited Natsu's Demonic traits which was an unexpected occurrence since even Natsu claimed such a thing would most likely be impossible.

From that day forward Cynthia was dubbed Fairy Tail's Impossible Girl always making the impossible possible just like her father and it was a much welcome occurrence.

"Aunt Elise your spacing out again!"

Elise blinked twice as she looked down at Cynthia who seemed slightly concerned but also annoyed at the same time, smiling she gave her a small pat on the head.

"So what brings you here Cynthia?"

"Is mom going to be back yet?"

"She's still in Crocus at the annual meeting of the Masters she won't be back until next week I'm afraid, why do you miss her?"

"Obviously but I'm not happy because she said I can't do any advanced magic training without her I'm gonna fall behind Colt, Ash and Rina!"

"Cynthia you do realize it's only a week right?"

"But every week counts Colt's Dad is showing him how to use metals other than Iron and Rina just got her third Take Over and don't even get me started on Ash she's learned how to become fully intangible using water and how to become one with Ice it's not fair!"

"Cynthia trust me you won't fall behind the others you have a whole lifetime to grow stronger one week isn't much to lose, you know training all the time isn't the greatest thing for anyone even your father would agree."

"Did father train all the time too?"

"He ran off with old man Gildarts when he was a kid for over a decade when he was around your age and when he came back your mother beat him up for it," Elise said as she giggled as picturing the sight.

"I wish Dad were here he would've trained me …"

"Your Dad probably would have Cynthia but he would've also told you the importance of experiencing your childhood something none of us ever got to have, your mother was enslaved at a tower, your father was fighting in a bloody war in Scarlione, Gray had his family killed by a vicious Demon and Mira had her sister killed in front of her."

"And what about you Aunt Elise I hear stories about the other S Class all the time but I've never heard one about you before?"

"I've never spoken about my past before that's why no one ever speaks of it," Elise replied as Cynthia looked at her quizzically.

"So you told no one?"

"I told your father in private once when we were on a mission together to pass the time and I told your mother and Wendy on a training trip but I made them swear not to tell a soul."

"Why wouldn't you want anyone to know about your past it can't be that bad?"

"I don't really like talking about it Cynthia it wasn't the greatest part of my life, the best part of my life is when I met your mother and father and joined Fairy Tail and that has been my life since."

"Come on Aunt Elise can you tell me at least a bit about your life?"

"Well that depends what's in it for me," Elise asked slyly.

"I'll stop pranking the guild for the next six months if you tell me."

"Deal," Elise said quickly thanking the Gods such an opportunity presented itself Cynthia was an absolute menace when she wanted to be.

"Alright I'll tell you but you can't tell anyone not even your friends alright?"

"I promise Aunt Elise," Cynthia said with a small smile as she sat down in a chair next to Elise as she began to look out at the city staring off into space.

"Hopefully you are comfortable Cynthia because this is a long tale; my story begins a long time ago in the small village of Kihetai …"

 _ **/Kihetai Village – Age X776/**_

Kihetai Village, a village nestled away in the mountains unbeknownst to those who don't know where to look. This seemingly quiet village held a powerful secret and one that would one day prove its final undoing, this village worshiped War itself.

The village was founded many years after the fall of the Dragnof Empire after a man began a cult centred around the God of War claiming that a sword he had come into possession of was in fact a sword of the War God himself.

Many who desired conflict flocked to the site and eventually a village formed around it centred around the cult known as The Cult Of Eternal Armageddon, today the villagers have taken to simply worshipping War rather than actively calling for it at every turn thanks to the current High Priest a kindly old man named Gentou.

Gentou was the former leader of the village raiding party who would attack bandit and Dark Mage camps for supplies and eventually after years of fighting he decided to retire and become a priest of the Cult eventually rising to the rank of High Priest.

One factor that led to his retirement however was an incident that happened on his final raid upon a Dark Guild camp that changed Gentou's outlook on life.

Raiding a Dark Guild camp standing orders were to kill all combatants which Gentou always followed to the letter, cutting through the pathetic mages with ease Gentou came across two Dark Mages holding a malnourished and badly beaten child by the hair in front of them as a shield.

"What have you done to that child," Gentou cried in shock never having seen such a sight before.

"This oxygen thief tried eating a corner off our loaf of bread so we taught it a lesson it'll never forget," the woman snarled as she ran a dagger along her side as it tapped against her ribs which were visible against her malnourished form.

"How could you treat a child in such a way what if that was your child!"

"This little shit is our child you pathetic worm," the man sneered as he punched the child in the head.

"You Dark Mages truly have no honour, no respect for anything!"

"The only thing that matters is what we want everything else is irrelevant, once we acquire true power life will be ours for the taking," the woman cried as Gentou saw red and with blinding speed had cut the arm off the woman who was holding the child and caught her in his free arm.

"You will pay for your crimes," Gentou said softly as he slit the woman's throat and blocked a sword strike from the man before running him through with the sword and kicking him to the ground.

Looking down at the girl he couldn't help but wince at her injuries, beatings must have been a daily occurrence and clearly she survived on less than bread and water. In a split second decision Gentou decided to take the girl with him back to Kihetai and raise her, he initially faced resistance from some but his argument that he would raise the girl to be of use silenced most and he promptly retired to take care of her.

The small girl had dirty black hair that went just past her neck with striking red eyes that held nothing but fear from the moment she awoke, clearly she was terrified at what she assumed was going to happen to her no doubt instilled into her by the Dark Mages who she once lived amongst. It would be a long road to recovery for her however Gentou was determined to try he was an old man now so that meant he had the patience to raise this child right, right?"

"From day one it was a nightmare, the only responses he could get from the girl was her name which was Elise and the simply yes, no or at once responses. The girl also assumed it was her duty to slave away doing menial tasks and whenever she messed up one of them she would either await punishment or administer it herself much to his horror.

The girl was a mental wreck and she was only five years old such a sight nearly broke the man on many occasions but he was determined to try and make sure this girl knew she was indeed free of her old life.

As the months passed Elise began to slowly but surely learn that she was indeed in a better place however she never once smiled, never once did she speak out of turn and never did she ever ask for a single thing not even food or drink.

To Gentou it was progress and he hoped that eventually she would ask for something as normal children should, one day he decided to ask when her birthday was and she simply replied that she didn't know what a birthday was which led him to explain that it is the day she was born.

Elise simply replied with September 29th and continued cleaning as Gentou realized that it was a mere two weeks away, with zip in his step he decided he would give Elise something for her birthday since she clearly didn't have one before.

The two weeks passed and Gentou was silently preparing for Elise's birthday, eventually the day arrived and he was anxious to see how she would react.

Elise slowly rose from her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, looking around she quickly undressed and redressed into some fresh clothes before walking out into the living room. When she arrived in the living room she found Gentou waiting for her.

"Ah Elise I've been waiting for you to wake up I have a surprise for you," Gentou said with a beaming smile as Elise bowed before him.

"Of course Master what am I to expect today."

"Come now Elise I've told you countless times you don't have to bow and call me Master," Gentou sighed.

"Of course Master."

Deciding not to get into the same endless loop Gentou moved on as his smile returned full force.

"Now you remember how I asked when your birthday was Elise well today we're going to celebrate it what do you think about that?"

"Celebrate … the day of my birth?"

"Yes all children celebrate it, the day of your birth is often called a birthday Elise remember that word you didn't understand?"

"Birthday … what does one do on a birthday?"

"Well for the person who has the birthday it's an extra special day where their friends and family give them gifts and everyone celebrates with food and drink."

"Gifts, friends, family," Elise asked as she cocked her head not understanding the words as Gentou felt his heart twitch.

"Well Elise a gift is the act of handing someone something that they like, usually the gift has some meaning behind it and you don't have to hand something back in return for it."

Gentou walked behind the couch and pulled out a wrapped up package and placed it between them and motioned for Elise to open it.

"What is this?"

"A gift for your birthday from me."

"A … gift, for me," Elise asked looking back between the package and Gentou trying to see if this was some sort of joke.

In the time she had been with Gentou he hadn't once raised a hand to her, never once had he ever raised his voice and he always allowed her to eat as much as she wanted. He always asked about her wellbeing and even helped her recover and be able to walk again, though she was still frail and sickly looking she was slowly recovering from what she had endured at the hands of the Dark Mages.

"A gift …"

"Yes I tried my best to get you something I thought you might like I had to travel all the way down the mountains and into the next town over to buy you it but I'm sure you'll like it."

"So it really is for me?"

"Yes."

"I … thank you … Gentou."

Elise flinched expecting some sort of harsh punishment for addressing Gentou by his name but instead his smile lit up the room as a few tears escaped him.

"Go on and open it up Elise," he croaked as Elise nodded slowly and began to fiddle with the packaging. "You can tear it open you know that's the fun part."

Taking his advice Elise ripped off the packaging and gasped, in the box was a pretty black dress with white frills on it, back with the Dark Guild Elise saw the other children receive pretty dresses whilst she was forced to wear rags so to receive something like this she was shocked.

"Mas-Gentou I-I- is this really for me!"

"Of course Elise I thought you would look adorable in it," Gentou replied not bothering to hold back his tears at this precious moment, the sadness behind the moment combined with how overjoyed Elise seemed to be was too much for the old man's heart to take.

"C-can I try it on now," Elise asked hopefully as Gentou smiled and nodded.

"Of course go put it on and come show me I'm sure you'll look really pretty."

Elise nodded quickly as she shuffled off to her room still far too weak to even walk at a fast pace, Gentou wiped the tears from his face as she stroked his beard in thought. He would strive to make many more moments such as this Elise's reaction was perfect she truly was getting better even if it was just bit by bit.

After several minutes Elise returned wearing the dress with a white bow on the left side of her head, she looked rather nervous as she squirmed not sure of Gentou's reaction.

"Elise you look so adorable," he cried as he flew over the couch clutching his chest in a comical manner as Elise looked at him confused.

"I-I hope it is to your expectations G-Gentou."

After crawling back up the couch Gentou shook his head.

"It's not about my expectations Elise the only opinion you should value about yourself is your own, if you think you look pretty in that dress then you wear that dress with pride and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

"The only opinion that matters … is mine …"

"So what do you think Elise do you like it?"

Elise's bangs shadowed her eyes as Gentou awaited her response, after several moments Elise looked up at Gentou with several tears in her eyes.

"I will treasure it always G-Gentou it is perfect!"

' _She's crying but Elise never cries not even when she stabbed herself …'_

"I'm glad you like it Elise from now on expect lots more presents ok."

Elise wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded furiously as Gentou couldn't help but smile.

' _Just like my little Aayla …'_

After Gentou cleared the mess of the wrapping paper up the two sat down once again as Gentou began to speak.

"Now then Elise there is more to a birthday than just presents the birthday girl also gets to do whatever she wants for her birthday," Gentou said as Elise gasped in shock.

"A-anything I want!"

"Yes anything, so Elise what would you like to do today?"

"C-can I not do any housework today?"

"Elise I've been telling you since day one you never had to do any housework anyway so that's something you already get anyway, is there anything else?"

"Well I don't know anything else that I would want …"

"So there isn't anywhere you want to go or anything you want to do?"

Elise shook her head as Gentou sighed since he probably should have planned for that, thinking quickly he came up with a solution.

"Alright Elise I know what we'll do today we'll go explore the temple you like exploring right?"

"B-b-but the temple is outside are you sure I can go outside!"

"Elise you are free to go outside anytime you want you aren't my slave you are your own person, if you want to go outside then you can do it, but until you are well let me know when you go outside in case you get into trouble ok."

Elise nodded quickly as he slowly stood up from behind the couch and motioned for her to follow.

"Alright come on Elise take my hand and we'll walk over to the temple, if you need to rest just say so."

Elise moved over to Gentou as quickly as she could feeling something inside her she couldn't describe, taking a chance she decided to ask Gentou about it.

"G-Gentou I feel … strange inside, am I sick?"

"Hmm what exactly are you feeling?"

"Well we are going outside and heading somewhere and I feel something that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside."

"Oh don't worry Elise you aren't sick that's called being excited," Gentou chuckled though inwardly he was seething that she didn't even know what excitement felt like.

"Excited … excited is good?"

"Yes it's an emotion tied to being happy you know what that is right?"

"Happy … the feeling when you gave me the … gift?"

"Yes that's what happy is good job Elise you are such a smart girl," Gentou said as Elise seemed to blush slightly from the praise and looked down at her feet.

Gentou opened the door and Elise had to squint due to the bright light of the sun as her eyes adjusted, after a few moments she slowly opened her eyes and her eyes widened in surprise.

"So pretty …"

Elise marvelled at the village of Kihetai that was build atop and into a mountain, Gentou's home was situated atop the mountain giving them a great view of the village and the valley below.

"Come Elise let us head to the temple," Gentou said softly as he slowly lead them to the temple which was at the end of the village atop the mountain.

Elise was panting when the two arrived and Gentou leant down to see if she was alright, Elise merely nodded simply wanting to enjoy every moment of this day. With a small smile Gentou opened the door and the two walked inside.

The temple was dimly lit with all sorts of markings adorning the walls that Elise couldn't understand; priests kneeled before braziers chanting in another language however her eyes immediately locked onto a large altar atop a pyramid like structure at the end of the massive hall.

Situated atop the altar was an Ebony Sword with four flames lit around it, before Elise had a chance to comment on it Gentou began to speak.

"This is the Temple Of Eternal Armageddon a place where we worship the God of War in all his glory, it is here that we pray for victory and blessings against any who would face us and that war shall avoid us."

"The God … of War, but what if it is a woman?"

"A woman cannot be the God of War that is preposterous," a voice cut in as Gentou sighed.

"Aniel she's only six and has no idea about the cult it's a fair question."

"It is blasphemy!"

"She doesn't even know what that means Aniel leave her be," Gentou said more sternly as the hooded priest scoffed and stormed off leaving the two alone.

"G-Gentou why can't there be a Goddess of War?"

"Because that sword belonged to the God of War himself and was left behind long ago that's why, I take it you like the sword?"

"I feel something coming from it but I don't know what it is," Elise replied seemingly captivated by it.

"Yes that is the mystery behind it, left behind by the God of War after a battle long ago we use it as a way to commune with him and offer worship."

"And does the God ever respond in kind?"

"Well we are still here aren't we; the village was founded hundreds of years ago and has never been attacked so yes I suppose he has."

"So you worship the God of War?"

"Yes I am a Priest of the Cult of Eternal Armageddon and a high ranking one due to my years of service to the village."

"What are those symbols all around the altar?"

"Those are words Elise I suppose you don't know how to read and write then, don't feel bad I'll teach you how to read and write but as for what the words on the altar say it says this. Here lies the sword of the God of War, we offer ourselves upon his Divine grace. Here stands his noble blade let he who discovers its true power ascend to stand at his side, ride unto battle wielding the forces of war at their command."

"I don't understand how can a human reach the level of a God?"

Gentou chuckled as he placed a hand on her shoulder affectionately ignoring the slight flinch upon contact.

"Don't worry about it your too young to understand it right now Elise I'm sure you'll get it when your older, come I'll show you the village and I'll buy you some ice cream."

"Ice cream?"

"It's a … look you'll understand when I give you one."

"Another gift?"

"It's both a gift and food Elise but you'll see soon enough now come along," Gentou said as the two began to leave the temple however Elise's eyes never left the sword until it was out of sight the aura it exuded gave her that same feeling of excitement but made the one she felt in the house feel like nothing.

It was at that moment Elise knew she would solve the mystery behind the sword no matter how long it took … if Gentou would let her.

 **So I just ruined Elise's childhood I feel so bad and the there is worse still to come I actually feel awful for doing this but it is her story as heart wrenching as it is. And yes this story is being told by an older Elise so expect bits of the present but nothing crazy from them just conversation and stuff.**

 **So I hope this first chapter was to Elise fans liking as brutal as I was to her childhood yes her parents were Dark Guild scum sadly but you aren't a Fairy Tail character if you don't have a tragic back-story so you know sticking with the theme and all.**

 **Things will progress a little slow with no real combat the first few chapters at least not that I can foresee yet anyway so hopefully you all stick around.**

 **Anyway as always I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!**


	2. Learning Life Lessons

**I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.**

 **Learning Life Lessons**

 _ **/Elise's POV/**_

Elise sighed as she continued to try and understand the words before her, Gentou had taken it upon himself to teach her how to read and write and although she was eternally grateful for anything given to her she could not deny how boring it was.

"Come now Elise what does this word say?"

"Cart."

"Good now what about this one," Gentou asked as he pointed to another.

"River."

"Well done now this one!"

"S-Sign?"

"No no you see the letter G in this word is silent so instead of saying sig –un you say sine."

"Sign …"

"Yes that's it," Gentou said cheerfully.

"Why put the letter G in the word at all then?"

"Well you see … actually I don't know why it just is as far as I'm aware and has been commonly accepted as such since well before I was born."

"I don't understand," Elise sighed as Gentou gave her an affectionate pat on the head.

"It's ok Elise there are things even some adults don't understand but you are a smart girl maybe one day you can find out why silent letters exist hmm?"

"I would rather not spelling is boring."

Gentou couldn't help but laugh at the statement; Elise was making good progress and was no longer the nearly mute and terrified girl she once was. After her birthday Elise had begun to open up more now actually asking questions and gaining confidence even if it was a little.

She no longer called Gentou Master and had managed to put on a little weight however she still looked rather sickly for her age, Gentou did the best he could to care for her all the while ensuring that she grew up at her own pace after all she was severely lacking in the humanity department she needed all the time she could get to catch up to everyone else.

Unfortunately for her the other children weren't very nice to her, one day when she was outside sitting under her favourite tree some of the other local children came and spoke with her. Sadly it quickly became apparent that she was socially awkward combined with her appearance the children began to tease her, Gentou wanted to do something about it but Elise simply said she'd been through worse and the subject dropped however day after day it continued getting worse and worse.

At first they just teased her calling her weird and loony however it began to morph into far harsher words such as freak and filthy orphan, one of the children even commented on how she was such a disgusting sight and that her own parents had abandoned her because of it.

It pained Gentou to see Elise just endure the tormenting words of the children but he knew that Elise was still far too weak to fight back both physically and mentally, through it all Elise weathered on and continued to learn and grow doing her best to ignore the other children taking Gentou's words on her birthday to heart.

' _The only opinion that matters is your own!'_

If the children thought her a freak it did not matter because she knew the truth as to why she was the way she was they would most likely die living through what she had, in the end she was the better person and she knew it.

"So do you want to take a break from studying Elise?"

"Just a short one I want to be able to read really good so I can read all the scrolls in the temple library."

"To discover the truth behind the sword yes I know your goal it is a fine goal indeed, you know it is nice to see such a smart young child eager to learn we need more like you in the world if we want to really get anywhere."

"Gentou do you know if the library has any books on the day the sword was left behind?"

"Only legends I'm afraid but new things are being brought in all the time from the outside something is bound to show up just you wait!"

"So how many big words are there …?"

"You mean in the books well there will be loads of them but that's why you're studying so hard right so you can read all the books?"

"Yeah of course I just wanted to know, so are we going to the market for lunch again?"

"Well that depends do you want to go to the market for lunch?"

"Well I do it's just that …"

"Everyone keeps staring at you," Gentou sighed as Elise nodded. "I thought you didn't care what other people thought of you?"

"I don't but the people who stare at me aren't saying it to my face they are talking behind my back, they whisper all kinds of things and think I can't hear them but I can. It's not like I care what they are saying it's just that they aren't willing to face me as they say them."

"All the more reason not to care what they say Elise after all what is the worth of someone's word when they don't have the guts to say it to your face eh? You know what it's worth is, zero!"

' _Plus they are nothing but gutless bastards for talking shit about a six year old girl who has been through much more than they have in their whole lifetimes!'_

"So are you sure you don't want to come to the market for lunch?"

"You're right Gentou their opinions don't matter," Elise said firmly as Gentou nodded with a smile.

"That's right Elise never think less of yourself because of the words of others they hold nothing over you, now come on there are pork sandwiches with our names on them," Gentou cried as he stood on the sofa pointing in the direction of the market.

Inwardly he sighed, though she had indeed opened up more still she was yet to smile or laugh but he knew one day it would happen Elise was improving every day it was only a matter of time.

Gentou put on his coat and helped Elise put on one he'd gotten for her when winter came around, she was adamant that she would wear the dress he'd bought her as much as possible so he simply bought things around that with her coat being purely black with white buttons and a white scarf to wrap around her neck with matching white gloves.

The two stepped out into the cold with Elise sinking slightly into the snow which had piled up; Gentou chuckled as he picked her up and placed her back down on a slightly lower patch of snow.

"Come on Elise let's go," he said as Elise nodded and began to almost waddle her way through the snow.

To Gentou these were the moments that made this all worth it, little Elise wading through the snow was just the most adorable sight especially with how adorably she looked at things with a face of curiosity. It was as if the world was one big mystery to her and although that was the result of her former life seeing her eyes light up at new things melted his heart.

When Elise and Gentou arrived at the market they were approached by a frantic priest who seemed to be panting quite heavily, after catching his breath he began to speak.

"Gentou you must come quickly it's the High Priest-!"

"What happened to him?"

"The High Priest has passed on …"

"Did he name a successor!"

"Yes you need to come to the temple immediately!"

"I understand, Elise do you think you could make it home by yourself?"

"I'll do my best Gentou," Elise replied as the old man smiled and gave her some money.

"I know you will, here is some spending money use it to buy something to eat if you feel up to it and I'll see you at home."

"C-come back soon Gentou …"

"I will don't worry," Gentou said with a small smile as he slowly walked away with the other priest.

"I wonder if Gentou will be alright … for now I should think about getting home I don't think I can buy anything these people look quite scary …"

As Elise looked around all she could see was people with grim faces and some were even scowling, in her mind she thought they must be reacting to her and so she decided to head home quickly and wait for Gentou.

Trudging back the way she came with Gentou Elise quickly found herself in some trouble with some of the local children who had followed her from the market.

"Well well look who we have here the freak finally emerged from its cave, you should've stayed home freak!"

"Yeah how could you even show your face in the village you might infect someone with that gross skin of yours!"

"You know my Dad told me that freaks like her aren't allowed to live inside of towns people chase them out so that the infection doesn't spread."

"Yeah we should get rid of her!"

Elise was worried the children had never gone this far before, the name calling was one thing but now they were slowly advancing on her and it reminded her of before.

"N-no please-!"

"Did the freak actually say something, haha it sounds afraid as it should be!"

Elise who was still too weak to run was pushed to the ground by two of the children as she was reminded of her time with the Dark Guild, her parents.

"Hey look the freak has some money on it!"

"Probably stole it from someone better take it back not like it'll need it anyway …"

"Wait no Gentou gave me that for food please-!"

"Come on everyone let's get rid of the freak Dad says it doesn't belong in the village anyway we'll be hailed as heroes!"

The children all agreed as they picked up Elise who struggled in vain, tears now streaming down her face as he was half carried half dragged outside the village and tied to a rock with some rope.

"Nice this is some sturdy stuff the freak ain't escaping this!"

"Why are you doing this to me," Elise sobbed as the kids all laughed at her.

"You know why, you're a freak and you don't belong here! Now you won't bother our village anymore!"

Elise was bound to the rock unable to free herself as the children began to walk away but not before one of the kicked her in the side as they walked off laughing as the sky began to darken.

Looking up ignoring the pain in her side Elise saw snowflakes beginning to fall, her tears quickly stopped as she resigned herself to her fate. Gentou didn't know where she was and the kids wouldn't ever tell, how children could be so horrible to someone they didn't even know was beyond her was something Elise would never understand.

For the next several hours Elise watched the snow begin to pile up all around her covering her like a blanket of ice, Elise was shivering and had lost any last bit of hope for rescue as her eyes began to feel heavy.

' _I'm sorry Gentou I was such a burden … forgive me …'_

Before she could close her eyes however she felt something warm push up against her, forcing her eyes open as much as she could she was surprised to see a wolf sniffing her seemingly curious.

' _So I'm to be eaten then …'_

However to her surprise when the wolf came closer to her head she realized that she'd actually seen the wolf before, it was one of the wolves from the temple but why was it here?

The wolf whined as it jumped up onto her and laid down in an attempt to provide her warmth Elise sighed grateful that she wouldn't be alone when she inevitably died as her eyes finally closed and she saw nothing but darkness.

 _ **/Gentou's POV/**_

Meanwhile in the village Gentou was on his way home after being told that HE was to be name High Priest, he wondered how Elise would react since it would mean they would have to move into the temple and she would be closer to the library and the sword she was so fond of.

It amazed him how she seemed drawn to the sword almost as if allured by it, was it because the legend behind it was so enthralling to her or was it because she merely wanted to learn. Either way this would mean big changes for the both of them.

With a smile he made his way inside his home and noticed that the lights weren't on, surprised since Elise never usually went to bed before him a quirk she hadn't yet managed to shake so he decided to check on her in her room.

Opening the door slightly he quickly scanned the room and realized she wasn't inside, alarm bells went off inside his head as he spent the next few minutes tearing the house apart looking for her before feeling his heart sink.

"She never made it back … what if she got lost and is now out there scared and alone, Gentou you foolish bastard you should have just taken her with you!"

Running back outside not even bothering with his coat he began to frantically call out her name praying that nothing terrible had befallen her.

 _ **/Elise's POV/**_

Elise's eyes slowly opened as she felt something soft pressing up against her; though she was still cold it helped ward it off even if but a little. However it only took her a minute to remember her current situation as her eyes widened in alarm, the warm and soft thing was in fact a wolf from the temple.

The wolf seemed to sense her awakening as it gently got off of her before sitting in front of her as if waiting for her to say something, deciding it was worth a try she spoke.

"D-do you think maybe you could do something about this rope?"

The wolf walked towards her and began to sniff the rope before looking back at her barring its teeth and pressing them up towards the rope.

"You need to use your teeth," she asked as the wolf yipped in response. "O-ok just be careful alright."

The wolf seemed to comply with her request as it began nibbling at the rope careful to avoid touching Elise, for the next few hours the wolf nibbled away as the sun began to rise and eventually the first bond snapped allowing Elise to easily slip through due to her sickly frame.

Unfortunately the events had taken their toll and Elise was unable to do anything more than crawl since her legs were far too weak, the wolf seemed to sense this and with a swift motion placed her on its back and began walking.

"Th-thank you but where are we going?"

The wolf simply barked in response as Elise sighed not knowing what it said.

"Well thanks even if I don't know what you said …"

The wolf seemed to walk for some time with Elise looking around taking in the snow covered forest as they eventually reached a cave, as they entered the cave Elise was surprised to see a whole pack of wolves appear and walk over to them all sniffing Elise as she remained deathly still.

After a particularly large one came over and sniffed her face it licked her on the nose before returning to its perch above the others as she slid off her saviours back.

"You brought me to your friends … thank you," Elise said softly as the wolf yipped with six young wolves tumbling over each other to get to her.

Elise couldn't help but find the sight cute as the young ones practically draped themselves over her vying for her attention as she struggled to keep up, quickly she found her strength leaving her as she collapsed onto her back with several of the wolves surrounding her obviously sensing how weak she was.

"S-so hungry," she sighed as she shivered from the cold and although she couldn't see it there was a look shared between the wolves that someone would clearly see as a sign of higher intelligence.

The wolves all soon looked up to the largest wolf who looked down at the scene with an almost curious gaze, it quickly stood and with a deep bark several of the wolves took off into the forest with the rest curling up around her in an attempt to keep her warm.

' _Why do the wolves seem nicer to me than most humans, Gentou is the only nice human but the rest always bully me. Also this must be where the temple wolves go when they aren't at the temple I wonder where we are?'_

Elise must have dozed off since she was awoken by one of the wolves furiously licking her face in an attempt to rouse her, eventually managing to get into a weak sitting position she saw the wolves had managed to gather some dead animals ranging from squirrels to small birds and a rabbit.

One of the wolves walked in front of her and dropped two rocks into her lap before walking over to a large pile of sticks and nudging it with its snout.

"Fire … with fire I can cook the things you brought," she said to herself as she used all her strength to drag herself towards the pile of sticks and began to attempt to light the fire.

It took some time for Elise to successfully get a spark since she was so weak but she eventually did it and on her face was some semblance of a smile, looking towards the food she realized her next problem and that was how she would cook them.

Elise had no idea how the process worked however at this stage it didn't matter, grabbing the nearby rabbit she simply threw it onto the fire and waited until it looked brown since most cooked food she'd seen was a brown colour.

The next step was something that would hurt and she knew it, Elise was no stranger to fire her parents burned her using a piece of metal they'd leave in the fire if she made any noise during the night so she knew what pain was coming but her hunger was simply too great.

Quickly she stuck her hand into the fire and pulled the rabbit out quickly dropping it on the cave floor as she fought back the tears whilst looking at her burnt arm, after some time Elise decided the rabbit might be safe to touch and used her other hand to grab the rabbit which thankfully was just warm.

Taking a bite as if she was nothing more than a feral beast she tore at the rabbit ignoring the fact that it still had hair and other disgusting parts simply relishing the fact that she was eating.

After a few minutes she tossed the half eaten rabbit to the side as some of the wolves began picking at it as she lay down once again feeling her strength leaving her once more.

"Thank you for the … meal," she sighed as she drifted off into unconsciousness once more.

 _ **/Gentou's POV/**_

ELISE," Gentou cried as he fell to his knees panting heavily after having spent all night desperately searching for her.

All around him the villagers were wondering why Gentou was behaving so strangely with some even believing he was slightly crazy, his ears suddenly perked up when he heard some children laughing.

"Hah how long do you think the freak lasted?"

"I'd say the cold got her!"

"The wolves ate her for sure!"

"Starvation!"

"She's been out there four days now no way she survived either way."

"I heard the High Priest has been searching for her instead of doing his job."

"Heh my Dad should be High Priest not that loser he doesn't even like war!"

Gentou had heard enough rounded on the kids seething with rage trying his best to restrain himself.

"I heard what you little shits just said where is she WHERE DID YOU TAKE ELISE!"

"Th-the rock formation just outside of t-town please don't kill us," one of the kids cried as Gentou took off at full speed.

Arriving at the rocks Gentou fell to his knees when he saw the gnawed at rope and paw prints as he feared the worst.

"Oh Elise," he sobbed when a blur out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Standing before him was one of the temple wolves, Gentou's initial reaction was anger however he noticed the wolf kept motioning for him to follow using its head.

' _They say the God was fond of wolves, is this his work?'_

"Please take me to Elise!"

The wolf barked and began to run off into the forest with Gentou following behind as best he could eventually arriving at the cave to see the wolves huddled around a badly burnt and sickly Elise.

"Elise," he cried as the wolves all jumped up with a start taking up defensive positions around her growling at his approach until the largest wolf howled getting their attention.

Jumping off its perch and slowly walked up to Gentou and sat in front of him when he felt a sharp pain in his mind.

" _PROTECT THE CHILD!_ "

Gentou fell to his knees as the wolf walked back up to its perch and laid down once more, after a few moments Gentou crawled over to Elise and gently picked her up waking her from her slumber.

"G-Gentou," she said weakly as Gentou let loose tears of joy at finding her and sadness at her condition.

"Yes Elise it's me I'm here now …"

"I … I thought you'd abandoned me, the wolves saved me."

"I know Elise I know, enough talk we're going home so I can get a better look at those burns alright."

"Th-the children wanted me to die Gentou … do I really deserve to die, my parents hated me and now them … why me?"

"I don't know Elise I just don't know, you are a charming bright young girl why people do this to you is beyond me. Enough of this for now though let us get back to the village."

Elise nodded as she slowly drifted off again with Gentou hurrying back to the village as fast as he could unaware that the wolves were watching his every move.

When Elise finally woke she found herself in unfamiliar surroundings, remembering that Gentou said he was going to get her burns looked at she assumed she was somewhere that could help and sure enough looking at her arm it was wrapped in bandages.

Sitting up she saw she was in a small room with a basin with water in it and medical supplies scattered around the room, slowly hopping out of bed she suddenly heard her stomach growl loudly. Blushing she got up and stumbled to the door and slid it open and what she was met with wasn't what she expected.

' _This is the temple!'_

"Look the girl is awake!"

"It's a miracle of the God!"

"They say the wolves came to her aid …"

"The War God saved the child's life …"

Many of the priests and civilians were murmuring about her and she found it rather uncomfortable as she tried to shy away behind the door only for the one voice she cared about to snap her out of it.

"Elise!"

"G-Gentou!"

The old man rushed towards her and pulled her into a hug much to her shock as he began to cry.

"I was so worried I looked everywhere for you and when I got you back here you wouldn't wake for weeks!"

"Weeks, how long has it been!"

"You've been unconscious for about three weeks Elise I've been so terribly worried," Gentou replied wiping away his tears as the young Elise simply looked at him wide eyed.

"I-I thank you for saving me Gentou the wolves did all they could but-!"

At the mention of wolves one of the temple wolves walked over and nuzzled her which once again started up the whispers as she gave it a scratch behind the ears.

"Gentou I don't understand why are we in the temple?"

"Oh right you don't know yet I was going to tell you when I got home but … well you know, I've been made the new High Priest!"

"T-that's great Gentou!"

"I know right now you can read all the books you want all part of my brilliant plan!"

"So you knew you would become High Priest," Elise asked as Gentou sweat dropped.

"Hehe of course why wouldn't I ehehe?"

"She's got you there High Priest," one of the priests snickered as everyone began to laugh save Elise.

"Nice to see I have support," he grumbled before grinning. "Come Elise this calls for a celebration all you can eat eh!"

"W-will there be more ice cream," she asked hopeful as Gentou began to laugh.

"Of course plenty of chocolate ice cream your favourite!"

Gentou was about to continue when he felt Elise's arms wrap around his leg, looking down her saw her hugging him.

"Th-thank you so much Gentou!"

"E-Elise you-you're actually-!"

Everyone present couldn't help but find the sight adorable as Gentou tried and failed miserably not to start crying again, for the six year old Elise however she had no other way to show her gratefulness to him for being the only human to show her such kindness.

The wolf next to her started trying to insert himself into the hug as Elise began to giggle since it licked her face furiously an action that froze Gentou in place.

' _Did she just … giggle, actually giggle?'_

After recovering from the fact that so many things were threatening to rip his heart open Gentou and Elise made their way over to the dining hall and proceeded to eat with Elise sharing some of her food with the one wolf that seemed to keep following her around.

" _PROTECT THE CHILD!_ "

The words had continued to play back in his mind for weeks that the wolf had actually spoken to him demanding he protect her, sure he would definitely do so however the fact that the wolf had demanded him to do so must have meant something but what?

Why would the wolves go so far for her when she was completely ignorant of their faith, was this a sign that something big was going to occur soon? Was this the God rewarding Gentou for his own faith, was Elise destined for some greater purpose?

After pondering these thoughts for awhile Gentou decided it didn't matter Elise would be free to grow up the way she wanted, never again would he allow her to be in harm's way like that not while he was High Priest.

Thinking such thoughts Gentou was reminded of the children who had quite viciously and sadistically tried to kill Elise, after returning with her Gentou had all the children rounded up as a group confessed to doing the deed. He had yet to determine a punishment for them and being High Priest it was his job to set the standard, deciding to take a chance he spoke.

"Elise I have a question for you," Gentou said softly as Elise looked up at him with half of her face covered in chocolate ice cream.

"Yes Gentou?"

"As High Priest it's my job to punish those who commit crimes and we've rounded up the kids who … you know," Gentou said as Elise's happiness faded from her eyes. "I want to know what punishment you believe is suitable for them?"

"You want me to decide," Elise asked shocked as Gentou nodded.

"You are the one who was wronged so I want to know what you think is a fitting punishment that's all."

Elise sat there in the chair for some time pondering the question, her first reaction was to ask for them to be executed since they tried to kill her but in her mind she figured that might be the childish response and so she decided to do some thinking.

If they saw her as a freak then it was obviously told to them by someone in a position of authority after all they were only a few years older than she was, though it most definitely didn't excuse their behaviour it showed that perhaps they weren't entirely at fault.

"When they took me one of them kept talking about his Dad," Elise muttered as Gentou leant in closer. "He said that his Dad told him freaks like me are chased out of towns and that they would be hailed as heroes for getting rid of me …"

"Did one of them really say that," Gentou said shocked as Elise nodded slowly.

"I was going to say I wanted them to die for trying to kill me but since somebody older than them that they probably trusted told them I was a freak killing them doesn't feel right, I don't know what type of punishment I would give them but I think that the Dad who said that should also be punished …"

"Indeed there is much wisdom there Elise you are far wiser and much more kind hearted than even I, I'll look into this matter Elise I promise thank you for telling me."

"G-Gentou can I ask you a favour?"

"Of course Elise what is it?"

"I-I know I'm weak but I don't want what happened to me to happen again so I was wondering if maybe you could teach me how to defend myself," Elise asked shyly as Gentou pondered her request.

' _True she is weak but given everything that has happened it is a reasonable request, with time I'm sure she will get better once people stop abusing her so I don't see the harm.'_

"What would you do with the skills I would teach you?"

"I would use them to defend myself from people like those kids who tried to kill me and …"

"And?"

"And to protect my friends," she said firmly as Gentou's eyes widened.

' _Even after all this she still hopes for friends someday …'_

"Elise I shall begin teaching you some basics once your arm has healed but not a moment before you understand?"

"Y-yes Gentou I promise to do my best!"

"I know you will do your best Elise I have no fears about that it is your health that worries me you are still quite pale and sickly looking for your age strenuous activities may not be the best idea. I'm not saying you won't be learning but we need to be careful so that you can learn in a safe environment you understand?"

"Y-yes but even despite my illness I will do my best!"

Gentou couldn't help but smile at the girl who went back to her ice cream with the wolf lapping up any that fell on the floor, his expression turned serious as he thought about the parent who would tell the other children that Elise was a freak. Gentou knew one thing that an incident like this would never happen again!

 **You know putting a six year old Elise through this really hurts but it all makes her into the character she will one day become so I must push on, next chapter there will be a three year time skip just so you know.**

 **Anyway I hope you all enjoy and I'll see you in the next one!**


	3. The Destined Meeting

**I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.**

 **The Destined Meeting**

 _ **/Three Years Later – Elise's POV/**_

It had been three years since Elise found herself at the mercy of some of the children of Kihetai Village and it appeared that her life was finally looking up, now that Gentou was the High Priest of the village people seemed to treat her with respect.

Although Elise wanted to believe that was the case she wasn't willing to buy it, within the first few months Elise quickly picked up on the fact that people seemed to believe she was blessed by their God and the evidence was based on the time she was saved by the wolves and that she was almost always accompanied by one of the temple wolves.

The wolves following her was something Elise couldn't figure out, did the wolves accept her as one of their own or was there something more at play here, not that she didn't mind their company however the children of the village still avoided her like the plague after what happened to those who messed with her.

The children who had tried to kill her wound up experiencing the same fate she had being tied up to the rocks outside of town for two whole days with no help from the wolves to save them from the harsh cold, two of the children died from the weather and the rest became ill however that was the last time any child dared mess with Elise both good and bad.

The father of the boy who was one of the ringleaders in trying to kill Elise found himself executed after confessing that he thought she was ridden with a plague bent on wiping out their village, no one was impressed with his explanation not even those who didn't like Elise and he was promptly taken to the block.

Elise had spent the three years growing and learning more about not only the things around her and other things a girl learns around her age but she also learnt more about her true self, the Elise in her heart of hearts as she liked to call it.

The last three years had shown Elise just how people truly were with the majority only out for themselves never willing to do what was right but what was easy and if she was to survive in such a world she would need to use her strengths to her advantage.

Sure Gentou had kept his promise and trained her how to defend herself with knives and other small arms. But Elise's true strength came from her mind which was proven to be highly advanced for her age as she cleaned out the library within the first year and a half and had since taken up researching the God of War as a substitute.

Yes as Gentou spent his time managing his duties as High Priest and spending time with her Elise used her knowledge to try and crack the mystery of the Ebony Sword and its mysterious aura and all of her research kept leading to the same conclusion, only someone deemed worthy could successfully access its hidden secret which meant she was flat out of luck.

Of course she had indeed considered trying to pick up the sword herself but promptly dismissed the idea after all why would she be worthy to wield such power after all there were many in the village even old man Gentou who would make far better choices than her why would she stand a chance?

And that led Elise to sit before the sword furiously scribbling into a scroll as she took glances at the sword every once and awhile listening to the priests around her comment on her devotion to their God and how they admired her drive.

The truth was Elise wasn't sure if this God of War even existed, the wolves seemed to be the only outlier in her theory that there wasn't any sort of God aiding this place and that every blessing or good fortune was merely the aid of luck being on their side for so long.

"Still scribbling away are we Elise," she heard Gentou chuckle from behind her.

"I am observing the way the sword reacts each time someone enters the room, if the magic shifts a certain way then it might lead to a breakthrough," she replied as Gentou hummed in response.

"Certainly a fair assumption however there could be any number of reasons as to why such a thing would occur you know that right?"

"Of course I do Gentou but all my other research indicates that only a chosen can wield the sword which means that if this chosen happened to be in the area the magic would surely react in some way wouldn't it?"

"Perhaps but again that is mere assumption, still I'm delighted to see you so passionate about this."

"You say that every day then tell me to go eat something to keep my strength up followed by asking if I've spoken with any of the children and I respond by saying they want nothing to do with me and I say I'm fine with that because they only would seek my friendship because of you anyway."

Gentou's eyes softened as he sighed and sat down next to Elise gently taking the quill and parchment from her hands and placing them on the ground next to her.

"Elise I'm just concerned about you it isn't normal for a girl like you to be so … so work driven like you are, you're only 9 and yet you have the mental capacity of at least someone in their twenties you don't play, you don't rest and you don't even try to make friends. I'm just worried that you'll let your childhood pass you by it is an important time for all of us it helps us define who we are in our teenage and adult years."

"My childhood was robbed from me years ago Gentou you know this, daily floggings, attempted drowning and asphyxiation as well as enslavement to my own parents changed me from the moment I could think for myself. Even the incident three years ago has only spurred me on and driven me to prepare myself for the future so that I never have to face that life again."

Gentou sighed as the wolf next to Elise placed its head onto her lap whining for attention as she gave it a heavenly scratch behind the ears.

"True your early life was horrific and would have thrown most children into madness, you coped by learning something which no one can fault you for. All I'm saying is at least try to be a child once in awhile no one would think any less of you for it."

"I sometimes consider it but whenever I see one of the other kids shy away from me or hear one of the adults whisper about how they think I'm the War God's messenger it reminds me that I cannot ever have this childhood, I never got to experience a proper childhood and although you have tried your best Gentou it simply isn't to be. Even now they believe I am speaking to you of some Divine Prophecy that would avert some disaster or another."

Gentou had no reply since everything Elise said was completely true and he knew it, his only response was to sigh an action he had taken to doing a lot these days as he slowly began to rise.

"I would not be opposed to going out for some more chocolate when you are free however," Elise said as she began scribbling on the parchment once more bringing a small smile to his face.

"We can do that Elise just don't work yourself too hard alright?"

"Alright Gentou," Elise said as Gentou walked off leaving her alone as the wolf placed its head on her knee whining as it looked up at her. "What's wrong?"

The wolf stood up and walked over to the door motioning for her to follow. After some sighing Elise got up and followed but not before making sure to carefully put her parchment away.

Following the wolf out into the yard Elise noticed that the other wolves began to arrive with each of them slipping through a small hole in the wall. One of the wolves barked motioning for her to follow.

"Where are we going," Elise asked confused as she followed them through the hole which lead to the forest outskirts.

After being led through the forest for some time Elise found herself standing in front of a large hole however it was what was in the hole that scared here. Stumbling back Elise fell on her back with the image of what was in the hole burned into her mind.

"Wh-what was that!"

Inside the hole were a mass of bodies however it wasn't just anyone, the bodies inside were priests from the temple with their bodies mutilated and seemingly violated.

"Oi you guy's done yet!"

Elise nearly froze up before diving into the nearest bush with the wolves also concealing themselves around her. Remaining as silent as she could a man wearing clothes similar to the ones the Dark Guild she was forced to serve appeared with several more who were carrying bodies.

"Dump this trash in there," the lead man ordered as the other mages did as instructed. "Oi so how many more of these pricks are left kid?"

Elise was shocked when the same boy who had nearly killed her appeared with a piece of paper handing it to the Dark Mage.

"Looks like we can finish em off now then, so that sword is still there?"

"Yes the High Priest won't let anyone near it but you should be able to get rid of him easy enough."

"You know I think you'll fit in nicely with our merry band of mages kid, selling out your own village that's pretty hardcore."

"They all deserve to die after the High Priest had my father executed and speaking of that do we still have our deal?"

"Of course we'll capture the girl alive so you can have your fun with her before killing her don't worry about it."

Elise was mortified and wanted to do nothing more than run back and warn Gentou however she would only get herself killed if she were to break from her hiding place now.

"Alright head back and inform the others we're attacking Kihetai within the hour while I finish off disposing the bodies."

As the other mages took off along with the boy Elise watched the remaining Dark Mage light a small flame in his hand and toss it onto the bodies which quickly spread as the stench of death began to invade her nostrils.

"Pathetic weaklings go burn in hell," the man snickered as he walked away laughing which allowed Elise to slowly begin to slip away.

The wolves were at her side as she ran as fast as she could back to the temple despite her health. Some of the wolves went first with Elise following behind them only to meet a horrendous sight.

The temple was on fire with the sounds of combat all around her as Elise made her way to the temple, reaching the door Elise slid it open only to meet a Dark Mage who grinned upon seeing her.

"Ah look what we have here the little bitch come here-!"

Before the mage could finish four of the wolves pounced on him with one going right for the throat as the rest physically began pushing Elise forward who was still shocked at how violent the usually docile wolves were being.

Entering the temple Elise slowly reached the main hall without any more encounters however she froze once she saw what was going on.

Gentou was fighting a dozen mages single handedly and easily dispatching them with power and grace the likes of which she'd never seen. The look on his face wasn't the kind and loving Gentou rather this one was a hardened war veteran.

The wolves began nudging her towards the altar where the sword resided whilst trying to keep out of sight. Forcing her around the back of the altar Elise was surprised when one of the wolves walked right up to the sword and grabbed it by the handle bringing it to her.

"Y-you want me to hold it bu-but I'm not one the God would want," Elise hissed as attention was suddenly drawn to them.

"Oi that's the girl the boss wants and she's taking the sword!"

"Get her!"

The mages were about to attack but an aerial slash attack sliced the room in half as Gentou stood before them blocking the path to the end of the room.

"Elise get out of here this is no place for you!"

"Th-the wolves led me here Gentou I just followed them!"

"They want you to protect the sword it seems, take it and run!"

"B-but-!"

"How interesting that the once mighty Gentou has taken in a stray child to replace the one he lost through his own negligence."

"M-Master," the remaining Dark Mages stuttered as they all knelt before a man wearing dark blue robes with a strange symbol on the collar.

"You … what are you doing here," Gentou growled as the man grinned.

"You know why I'm here Gentou I want the sword of the War God that is said to contain untold power within. I wish for the power to raise our guild to greater heights like those of the Bharam Alliance!"

"A power play how pathetic, you most definitely aren't the one who the God seeks the one who deserves the power has yet to arrive!"

"So you say yet you aren't letting me even have a try how is that fair?"

"Well attacking this town most certainly strikes you off the list," Gentou said as he levelled his sword as the man assumed a combat stance.

Elise could feel the pressure in the air change as Gentou and the man rushed towards each other and the first shockwave knocked her off the altar with the wolves leaping down to her side.

"G-Gentou!"

Elise was surprised when the wolves suddenly held her right arm down with another standing on top of her to prevent her from getting back up.

"Get off I have to see if Gentou is alright!"

Suddenly Elise felt something heavy and slightly slobbery be placed in her hand; looking at her hand she noticed that the wolf with the sword had placed it in her hand. At that moment Elise's breath hitched as her mind felt like it was on fire.

" _Another hand touches my predecessors blade but I wonder are you truly worthy … a child?_ "

' _Is this the God- no wait it sounds like a woman so that must mean that it really is a Goddess like I thought!'_

" _My my an abusive childhood like few others, the thirst for knowledge and a love for those who prove themselves kind. Timid and shy but brave in your own way … my my you have quite a lot of potential too and your appearance is strikingly similar to my very own I wonder if fate was involved in this …_ "

"E-excuse me Lady Goddess maam but wh-why would you even deign to speak to someone as weak and feeble as myself," Elise asked shyly as he felt the presence recoil somewhat before becoming softer, gentler, kinder like Gentou.

" _Your ailments mean nothing to me child but I would ask of you this what would you do with the power I could bestow upon you should I grant it to you?_ "

"I would use it to help people and protect the ones I care about!"

" _You didn't even stutter when saying that I assume you firmly believe in this statement?_ "

"I told G-Gentou the same thing when he asked me what I would do with training," Elise replied as the Goddess hummed in her mind.

" _I like you child I think I can make you into someone great but it seems you are in a bad situation right now._ "

Looking up over the altar Elise was shocked to see only Gentou and the mysterious man left with the others bodies littering the floor and blood splattered everywhere. Gentou and the man were both panting quite heavily as they charged each other once more.

" _I choose you as my student,_ " the Goddess said as Elise felt a sudden burning sensation run up her arm and into her heart and brain.

Dropping to her knees before curling up into a ball Elise felt pain wrack her body as the Goddess began rewriting her very own DNA using the power within the sword. Once the process was done Elise slowly uncurled and went to stand up however one look at her hand made her gasp.

The sickly colour of her skin was all but gone and she felt like she actually had energy for the first time in years. Allowing a small smile of joy to grace her lips the pained cry of Gentou quickly ruined what would have been a good moment for her.

Looking over towards the fight Gentou's sword arm had been severed with the sword being embedded in one of the pillars near Elise.

"And so … I finally win!"

"Gentou," Elise cried as the old man looked at her with a smile.

"It was fun Elise but I've gotten far too rusty it seems, old age probably had a fair bit to do with it but you get my point. You are holding the sword of the War God so run Elise, run as far and as fast as you can!"

"I won't let you die Gentou I won't!"

"Don't be foolish Elise you cannot save me just run you might get away you've always been good at giving people the slip when you wanted to and … well before I go I want you to know …"

The Dark Mage raised his purple coloured magic sword in the air and brought it down swiftly.

"I love you …"

Gentou's head was severed from his body as Elise stood there frozen in shock and horror, the Dark Mage smirked as he turned and raised the magic blade towards Elise eyeing the sword in her hand.

"Give me the sword girl and I'll let you live."

"…"

"Hand it over girl!"

"No."

"What did you just say," the man asked as he began to walk forward.

"I won't let you have this," Elise said as she gripped the handle of the sword. "Goddess please help me kill this man he killed Gentou so please …"

" _I can do that but you must do as I say to the letter afterwards alright?_ "

"I'll do whatever you want just help me kill them … the bad people who killed Gentou!"

" _I will grant your request so allow me to take control since you don't know how to fight yet._ "

"How?"

" _Don't fight what I'm about to do,_ " the Goddess said as Elise felt her consciousness pushed back as the Goddess took her place.

The man stopped as Elise's eyes changed to a blood red colour and a smirk appeared on her face.

"Well now this isn't your lucky day is it?"

"Trying to act confident are you girl it won't save you," the man said as the Goddess smirked.

"I have chosen who shall receive my power and it most definitely isn't you pathetic mortal. Now I've made a promise to my adorable new student to kill you and the rest of your little cult so this is the end for all of you."

"Y-you are the War God!"

"Ah ah see that is where you are wrong dear I'm not the War God rather the War Goddess, honestly you mortal men thinking the only female Gods can be ones such as love and other such nonsense it really is quite pathetic. Know that you died at the hands of the War Goddess Eliza for your sins."

Snapping her fingers the wolves formed up around her in a diamond shaped formation as the front door to the temple burst open with more Dark Mages running in to help their boss.

"More fools for the meat grinder such foolishness. These wolves are quite special you know they've been raised with a miniscule amount of my predecessor's aura within them and are trained to aid the currently serving War God or Goddess in the realm since we cannot come without a link of some kind. It was hard to get the girl to touch the sword I knew she was the one the moment she first entered my temple but like all things it just took time to get her in the right place."

"MEN KILL THE DEMON CHILD!"

"Demon child now that is uncalled for don't you think," Eliza scoffed as she ripped Gentou's sword out of the pillar it was stuck in and took a few practice swings with it. "Such a frail body but more than adequate for my needs."

Pointing at the charging mages the wolves rushed in for the attack with Eliza following behind as they tore through their attackers. Unfortunately the wolves were just wolves not actual magic beings and so many of them did die however the remaining ones were dedicated to following Eliza's lead as she rushed the leader who summoned a magic sword and the two clashed.

"What is this monstrous strength no child should possess such power!"

"Ah but as I already explained I'm not Elise Faulkner the child I am Eliza the Goddess of War it isn't my fault you fail at listening," Eliza said as she pushed the man back knocking him into one of the pillars cracking it.

"It was hard watching such an innocent girl suffer all these years and not be able to help her in any real way so I gave her my wolves in the hope that she might be free of this nonsense for but a few years. It seems the girl is far brighter than even Gentou gave her credit for since she knew her childhood was never going to happen. It makes me quite upset to see that so I shall take out my frustrations on you!"

The man barely dodged a powerful thrust that shattered the pillar before receiving a slash across the chest and a brutal kick to the face that sent him flying through the wall out into the courtyard.

The fighting in the courtyard had ceased upon seeing the enemy leader on the ground clutching his chest wound however everyone froze when they saw Eliza walk out with narrowed eyes and a playful smirk on her face.

"Th-that's Elise!"

"She's holding the sword does this mean she was chosen!"

"The God has come to defend us!"

"SILENCE!"

Everyone fell silent immediately at the booming childlike voice as Eliza pointed her sword at the enemy leader.

"You think just because I am fighting this trash that I am on your side? You who picked on the innocent child and drove her further and further into depression because of your constant fear and disdain for her and what she was to the High Priest? All of you should die for what you have done to this girl especially that one boy who caused all of this however as things stand my main priority is my new student."

Rushing toward the enemy leader with blinding speed Eliza drove Gentou's sword through the top of his skull killing him instantly and yanked it out violently spraying blood all over herself.

"War has forsaken this place the only human worth protecting died doing the right thing. Do not call on me again for you are all worthless to me."

Walking back inside leaving the stunned and shocked cultists and Dark Mages Eliza kneeled before the deceased Gentou trying to think of what to do.

"I suppose I should bury him but we don't have a lot of time left so perhaps …"

Looking up toward the altar Eliza nodded as she kicked the stand the sword had been on over and surrounded her fist in a strange black aura.

" **War God's Armageddon Fist!** "

Punching the ground several times Eliza carved out a rectangular shaped hole and cleared the debris out as quickly as she could. Walking over she picked up Gentou's head and dragged his body over gently placing it into the hole with his head near his neck in an attempt to be respectful.

Jumping out of the hole she walked over to the stone altar she had kicked out of the way and put it back over the hole with the body of Gentou but not before taking one look at the sword in her hand.

"This is your sword in both life and death, you have performed your duty to me admirably old soldier," Eliza said softly as she placed the blade over his body and covered it with the altar. "I shall return control once we are safely away from here but for now it is time to leave before the cultists get any ideas."

Walking towards the front door Eliza exited and took off running from the temple and into the forest leaving the mess that was Kihetai far behind.

 _ **/Several Days Later/**_

Elise groaned as she slowly opened her eyes feeling like she'd gone through another one of the beatings from her early childhood. As she slowly sat up she remembered what had happened and began to tear up.

Gentou was dead; the man who had shown her such kindness and affection the likes of which she'd never even hoped to experience was now dead at the hands of a Dark Guild. But then it dawned on her, she was chosen by the War Goddess and had promised herself in exchange for avenging Gentou.

" _Oh you owe me little one but not much considering what I did to your body._ "

"Are you still in my head Lady Goddess!"

" _No no that won't do at all Elise Lady Goddess sounds old my name is Eliza._ "

"Eliza … Eliza Goddess of War."

" _Yes that is me in a nutshell but just call me Eliza or the alternative once I've explained exactly what I did to you. You said you had a frail and weak body so I've fixed that for the most part, constant training will be a must since I can't make you into a warrior on the spot but you no longer suffer from the ailments you once did._ "

"Y-you cured me …"

" _Of course I think you've suffered enough don't you? Your bones, muscles and organs are now back to perfect order as well I noticed quite a few of them were struggling as they were. But fixing you required me to use my power to re-write your DNA quite a bit._ "

"DNA?"

" _To put it simply DNA is what makes you … well you I suppose. Your DNA is made from the DNA of your parents and makes you take on traits like them from things such as hair type and colour to things like the shape of your nose. I know you didn't really like your parents so I figured you wouldn't mind._ "

"But if you need parents er … DNA then how did you change mine?"

" _Well you see I had quite a lot of damage to fix so in order to make sure it was erased on the genetic level I may or may not have rewritten your DNA with my own …_ "

"You WHAT!"

" _I know it sounds bad but hear me out dear I-!_ "

"Thank you."

" _I'm sorry but what did you just say?_ "

"I hated my parents they were awful people who preyed on the weak and innocent and you freed me from them and … well now that I'm the same as you then maybe that means you are kind of like my …"

" _I didn't think of it like that but that is a valid point aren't you the smart one,_ " Eliza said in amusement as Elise smiled sadly.

"I just wish Gentou was here to hear this."

" _I gave him the best burial I could before I fled from the temple which reminds me we must get you moving and begin your training at once. Before I left I could feel the eyes of the cultists on me scheming away hungrily and without Gentou who was the only one truly devoted to me they will seek to use you for their own ends._ "

"How are you going to train me if you aren't here?"

" _It will be a tough process but I think you can do it. To train as things are now I shall instruct you through visions in your mind and you shall parrot them until you can do so without my aid. Physically it is a different story but the idea of hurting yourself through training is lessened significantly thanks to my own DNA running through you. To put things simply you have a healing factor thanks to my power._ "

"A healing factor?"

" _Yes it is a form of regeneration one who wields the power of the Gods receives, you are now the sole user of the War God Slayer Magic I believe it is what the humans here call Lost Magic._ "

"You even gave me the use of your magic!"

" _Well you have the potential to use it however you won't be able to do anything useful with it unless you train to wield it. Notice that you have an inhuman amount of stamina for even adults that could be expanded upon even further were you to train._ "

"This is all so much I don't even know how to process it all …"

" _I know this must seem like a lot to you Elise but you are now my chosen and … well yes now you are technically my Daughter as well. Since you are both those things I expect you to be far above the common rabble of society and put that sharp mind of yours to good use._ "

"I-I'll do my best!"

" _We'll need to work on that stuttering as well it is unbefitting of a Demigod such as yourself._ "

"Demigod?"

" _A half human half God dear,_ " Eliza sighed. " _Look there isn't much time I ran as far as I could before I was forced to hand control back over to you so you need to start moving from here and along the way I'll teach you some survival skills and answer any questions you might have alright._ "

"Ok … but can I ask one more?"

" _Alright but only one more for now,_ " Eliza sighed as Elise fidgeted clearly nervous.

"Since we are related now would it be alright if I- well if I were to … can I perhaps call you … Mother?"

" _Well … I don't see the harm and you are technically my Daughter so I suppose you could we will be spending quite a lot of time together. You may call me Mother if you wish Elise._ "

"Thank you I promise I won't let you down," Elise said softly as Eliza hummed in agreement.

" _You need to get moving Elise those cultists will no doubt be tracking you as we speak._ "

Elise nodded as she slowly got up still not used to how much more energy she had since her body was no longer weak like it once was. With a determined expression Elise walked off into the woods with Eliza watching over her.

 **Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!**


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